Homologs of APETALA1/FRUITFULL in Solanum plants

The MADS-box APETALA1 genes control plant transition to flowering and the floral morphogenesis proper. The experimental evidence of APETALA1 overexpression presumes that this class of genes can also directly affect time to flowering. We therefore cloned and compared homologs of APETALA1 class genes from potato (Solanum tuberosum cultivars adapted to long day conditions) and its wild relative Solanum demissum, a short-day subtropical species. The homologs isolated from these plants belong to the subclass FRUITFULL. The inconsiderable variations in the primary structure of these homologs cannot explain the diverse photoperiodic reactions of particular Solanum genotypes.     

Analysis of Brachypodium distachyon UVR8 reveals conservation in UV-B receptors

• The Ultraviolet Resistance Locus 8 (UVR8) in plants recognizes ultraviolet-B (UV-B) light and plays a crucial role in regulating plant growth through a series of signal transduction events. However, the UVR8 in monocotyledon crops has not yet been systematically analysed.
• We identified BdUVR8 (BRADI_3g45740) from the genome of Brachypodium distachyon, a relative of wheat, by analysing the phylogenetic tree, the gene expression pattern, detecting accumulation of UV-B response metabolites, and checking for phenotype recovery.
• The BdUVR8 protein sequence is similar to the known UVR8 of other species. The phylogenetic tree of UVR8 shows clear divergence between dicotyledons and monocotyledons. Expression analysis revealed that UV-B downregulates BdUVR8 by 70% and upregulates the chalcone synthase (BdCHS) gene 3.4-fold in B. distachyon. The pCAMBIA1300::BdUVR8-mCherry construct introduced into Arabidopsis uvr8 mutants showed that the BdUVR8 protein is localized in the cytoplasm and translocates into the nucleus in response to UV-B irradiation. The introduction of BdUVR8 into uvr8 rescued hypocotyl elongation caused by UV-B and restored expression of HY5, Chalcone synthase, and Flavanone 3-hydroxylase, as well as accumulation of total flavonoids.
• Together, our results show that BdUVR8 is a photoreceptor that perceives UV-B in B. distachyon.

     

二穗短柄草(Brachypodium distachyon)BdAD1基因的克隆、表达及功能分析

本研究利用生物信息学结合RT-PCR技术从二穗短柄草(Brachypodium distachyon)中克隆出BdAD1的c DNA基因,该基因编码一个包含500个氨基酸残基的乙醛脱氢酶家族蛋白。系统进化关系分析表明,该BdAD1蛋白序列与小麦(Triticum aestivum)、羊草(Leymus chinensis)和大麦(Hordeum vulgare)的同源蛋白具有较近的亲缘关系。BdAD1基因在植物细胞的细胞核和细胞质中均有表达,而且BdAD1蛋白兼具松柏醛脱氢酶和芥子醛脱氢酶的活性(CALDH/SALDH),可将松柏醛与芥子醛分别酶解生成阿魏酸和芥子酸,但它对松柏醛的催化效率显著高于芥子醛,因此推测BdAD1可能在苯丙烷代谢途径中对阿魏酸的合成具有重要的调控作用。     

T-DNA mutagenesis in Brachypodium distachyon

During the past decade, Brachypodium distachyon has emerged as an attractive experimental system and genomics model for grass research. Numerous molecular tools and genomics resources have already been developed. Functional genomics resources, including mutant collections, expression/tiling microarray, mapping populations, and genome re-sequencing for natural accessions, are rapidly being developed and made available to the community. In this article, the focus is on the current status of systematic T-DNA mutagenesis in Brachypodium. Large collections of T-DNA-tagged lines are being generated by a community of laboratories in the context of the International Brachypodium Tagging Consortium. To date, >13?000 lines produced by the BrachyTAG programme and USDA-ARS Western Regional Research Center are available by online request. The utility of these mutant collections is illustrated with some examples from the BrachyTAG collection at the John Innes Centre-such as those in the eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A) and brassinosteroid insensitive-1 (BRI1) genes. A series of other mutants exhibiting growth phenotypes is also presented. These examples highlight the value of Brachypodium as a model for grass functional genomics.     

Three MADS-box genes similar to APETALA1 and FRUITFULL from silver birch (Betula pendula)

Despite intensive research on genetic regulation of flower development there are still only a few studies on the early phases of this process in perennial plants like trees. The aim of this study has been to identify genes that regulate early stages of inflorescence development in silver birch ( Betula pendula Roth) and to follow the expression of these genes during development of the unisexual birch inflorescences. Here we describe the cloning and characterization of 3 cDNAs representing MADS-box genes designated BpMADS3, BpMADS4 and BpMADS5, all belonging to the AP1/SQUA group of plant MADS-box genes. According to RNA blot analysis, all 3 genes are active during the development of both male and female inflorescences. However, differences in patterns of expression suggest that they play different roles. BpMADS3 is most similar in sequence to AP1 and SQUA, but it seems to have the highest expression at late developmental stages. BpMADS4 is most similar in sequence to the Arabidopsis gene FRUITFULL , but is expressed, in addition to developing inflorescences, in shoots and roots. BpMADS5 is also similar to FRUITFULL; its expression seems to be inflorescence-specific and continues during fruit development. Ectopic expression of either BpMADS3, BpMADS4 or BpMADS5 with the CaMV 35S promoter in tobacco results in extremely early flowering. All of these birch genes seem to act early during the transition to reproductive phase and might be involved in the determination of the identity of the inflorescence or flower meristem. They could apparently be used to accelerate flowering in various plant species.     

Brachypodium distachyon. A New Model System for Functional Genomics in Grasses

A new model for grass functional genomics is described based on Brachypodium distachyon, which in the evolution of the Pooideae diverged just prior to the clade of "core pooid" genera that contain the majority of important temperate cereals and forage grasses. Diploid ecotypes of B. distachyon (2n = 10) have five easily distinguishable chromosomes that display high levels of chiasma formation at meiosis. The B. distachyon nuclear genome was indistinguishable in size from that of Arabidopsis, making it the simplest genome described in grasses to date. B. distachyon is a self-fertile, inbreeding annual with a life cycle of less than 4 months. These features, coupled with its small size (approximately 20 cm at maturity), lack of seed-head shatter, and undemanding growth requirements should make it amenable to high-throughput genetics and mutant screens. Immature embryos exhibited a high capacity for plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis. Regenerated plants display very low levels of albinism and have normal fertility. A simple transformation system has been developed based on microprojectile bombardment of embryogenic callus and hygromycin selection. Selected B. distachyon ecotypes were resistant to all tested cereal-adapted Blumeria graminis species and cereal brown rusts (Puccinia reconditia). In contrast, different ecotypes displayed resistance or disease symptoms following challenge with the rice blast pathogen (Magnaporthe grisea) and wheat/barley yellow stripe rusts (Puccinia striformis). Despite its small stature, B. distachyon has large seeds that should prove useful for studies on grain filling. Such biological characteristics represent important traits for study in temperate cereals.     

Cytochemistry of pollen development in Brachypodium distachyon

Brachypodium distachyon is a widely recognized model plant belonging to subfamily Pooideae with a sequenced genome. To gain a better understanding of the male reproductive development in B. distachyon we examined pollen morphology and cytochemical changes of microspore cytoplasm from pollen mother cell stage to mature pollen using light, fluorescent and scanning electron microscopy. Our results show that B. distachyon exhibits a typical monocot-type pollen ontogeny. Meiosis in the pollen mother cells is accomplished by successive cytokinesis generating isobilateral tetrads. Cytochemical examination indicated that microspore cytoplasm contains variable amounts of insoluble carbohydrates and proteins at different developmental stages. Deposition of starch in the cytoplasm of microspores starts at the bicellular stage and continues till the mature pollen stage. The formation of the exine wall progresses by the deposition of sporopollenin from the tapetum layer of the anther. The mature pollen is trinucleate, spheroidal in shape and possesses a single pore with an annulus and operculum. The exine pattern is smooth and of granular type.     

Plant regeneration and micropropagation of Brachypodium distachyon

Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P. Beauv. has several features of its genome and growth habit reminiscent of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heyn. that may allow it to be developed as a model molecular genetic system representative of the temperate grasses. In order for B. distachyon to be exploited in this way, it will be necessary to develop tissue culture procedures. This report details initial studies of the characteristics of mature seed-derived callus and the production of fertile plants from callus of three ecotypes of B. distachyon. Optimum development of embryogenic callus occurred on LS (Linsmaier & Skoog 1965) and N6 (Chu et al. 1975) media containing 3.0% w/v sucrose and 11.25 M (2.5 mg l^-1) 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Plants were recovered at a high frequency from embryogenic callus of ecotype B200 maintained on growth regulator-free N6 medium and were easy to establish in compost. A method was also developed for the in vitro clonal propagation of shoots using MS (Murashige & Skoog 1962) medium supplemented with 4 to 13 M (1.0 to 3.0 mg l^-1) benzyladenine. It was concluded that B. distachyon performed well in tissue culture and was suitable for further studies aimed at genetic transformation and its continued development as a model molecular genetic system.Abbreviations BA benzyladenine - 2,4-d dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - LS Linsmaier and Skoog (1965) - MS Murashige & Skoog (1962) - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - MSO growth regulator-free Murashige & Skoog (1962)     

Xyloglucan exoglycosidases in the monocot model Brachypodium distachyon and the conservation of xyloglucan disassembly in angiosperms

Plant Molecular Biology - Brachypodium distachyon has a full set of exoglycosidases active on xyloglucan, including α-xylosidase, β-galactosidase, soluble and membrane-bound...     

Proteomic and metabolic disturbances in lignin-modified Brachypodium distachyon

Lignin biosynthesis begins with the deamination of phenylalanine and tyrosine (Tyr) as a key branch point between primary and secondary metabolism in land plants. Here, we used a systems biology approach to investigate the global metabolic responses to lignin pathway perturbations in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon. We identified the lignin biosynthetic protein families and found that ammonia-lyases (ALs) are among the most abundant proteins in lignifying tissues in grasses. Integrated metabolomic and proteomic data support a link between lignin biosynthesis and primary metabolism mediated by the ammonia released from ALs that is recycled for the synthesis of amino acids via glutamine. RNA interference knockdown of lignin genes confirmed that the route of the canonical pathway using shikimate ester intermediates is not essential for lignin formation in Brachypodium, and there is an alternative pathway from Tyr via sinapic acid for the synthesis of syringyl lignin involving yet uncharacterized enzymatic steps. Our findings support a model in which plant ALs play a central role in coordinating the allocation of carbon for lignin synthesis and the nitrogen available for plant growth. Collectively, these data also emphasize the value of integrative multiomic analyses to advance our understanding of plant metabolism.

Ammonia-lyases play a key role in coordinating the allocation of carbon for lignin synthesis and nitrogen availability for plant growth.